Bright Bakes: Peanut Butter & Choc Cookies

If you read my 10 Things I Learned & Loved This Weekend feature you’ll know that I love to bake on the weekend. Not only do I find the process of baking therapeutic but it also gives me the opportunity to try and improve my food photography by taking snaps as I go. As this was a long weekend for the Easter holiday I thought I would share one of my bakes with you today – I hope you don’t mind? I tried out the chocolate peanut butter cookies recipe from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook and it was such a blast to bake! I’m not sure if you would like me to share more of my bakes? Either way, I hope you’ll find this useful if you’re planning on baking something sweet soon – here’s an abridged how to:

1. Beat the butter until light and fluffy and then add the peanut butter until combined, before doing the same with the sugars and egg. Mix together all the dry ingredients before folding into the peanut butter mixture. Divide the dough into two parts, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Roll the dough out so that it’s 0.5cm thick and cut into your chosen shapes. Place onto greased baking trays and bake for 10-12 minutes at 180°C/160°C fan until lightly golden at the edges, then place on a wire rack to cool.
3. To make the fondant, melt all the ingredients in a bowl over simmering water and then let it cool until it’s set but still spreadable. Fill a pipping bag with the fondant and pipe roughly one teaspoon onto half of the cookies. Place the remaining cookies on top and gently press them together so the fondant moves the edge.

// Photography and styling by Will Taylor | Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Will is a self-confessed gentleman hooked-on-hue and his motto is: beige is boring! He works as a freelance author, creative consultant and lifestyle blogger. Will has been blogging about his love of colourful design, fashion and travel since 2009, engaging an army of colour lovers across the world with his quintessential make-you-smile style.